Refried Black Beans

This is a recipe that can be used as both an appetizer, a side dish to a meal, or a as a base in tacos.  It can be made right on the spot and served warm or it can be made in advance, chilled, and then serve alter with your favorite veggies or corn chips.  Because these beans are so versatile, I make this dish quite frequently!

Refried Black Beans (or Black Bean Dip):

1 Tbs olive oil

5 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin

2 cups black beans

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
cayenne to taste
juice of one lime
salt

1. Heat olive oil in pan.  Once hot, toss in scallions, coriander, and cumin.  Let sizzle for about five minutes.  Keep the heat relatively low so the bottom of the pan won't burn.

2. Add black beans and water. Stir. When the beans have started getting hot, begin to mash them with your spoon.  How much you mash the beans depends on your preference.  For dip, I mash them more than if I use them for filling in tacos.

3. When the water has cooked out and the beans have reached the desired consistency, remove the pot from the heat and stir in cilantro, cayenne, lime juice, and salt.  This dish can be served warm as part of a meal or chilled with your favorite veggies or corn chips.

Curried Egg Salad with Mango Chutney

Getting ready for the week takes lots of planning.  I like to make lunches that I can easily put into to-go containers throughout the week.  Egg salad definitely fits into that category!  This is a new recipe I tried from Simple Recipes.  I cut down on the chutney and added some celery to reduce the sweetness.  Plus, the cilantro lover that I am, I can't resist adding it to dishes for an extra twist.  

The initial inspiration came from one of my favorite dishes that I periodically order at a local tea shop.  This recipe comes close, but not quite.  I will have to continue to tamper.  I hard boiled the eggs by bringing water to a boil then placing the egg in the boiling water.  After about 12 minutes I remover the eggs from the water and rinsed them in cool water to prevent them from cooking any further.

Curried Egg Salad with Mango Chutney

 

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled

1/3 cup mango chutney

1 1/2 tsp yellow curry powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbs mayonnaise
1 Tbs chives, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
cayenne for taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
lettuce or raw spinach
cilantro for garnish




1. Do the prep: chop celery, dice chives.

2. Place peeled, hard boiled eggs into a medium sized bowl and roughly chop by taking two table knives and slicing them accross the eggs. (To make a finer egg salad, you can use forks to press against the cooked egg pieces to break them into smaller pieces.)

 

3. Add the mango chutney, yellow curry powder, salt, mayonnaise, chives, celery, black pepper, and cayenne to the eggs. Mix until well combined.

4. Place lettuce or spinach on place and serve the curried egg salad on the bed of lettuce.  Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top. 

Note: If you're making appetizers, just get some gluten free crackers from the store and spread the curried egg salad on the crackers, then top with a touch of cilantro.